This invention relates to the production of arylene sulfide polymers. In one aspect, this invention relates to the production of phenylene sulfide polymers. In another aspect, this invention relates to the production of cleaner arylene sulfide polymers.
Thermoplastic polymers having a high degree of heat resistance and/or thermal stability for use in applications such as film and fiber are the object of intensive research and development. In applications such as film and fiber, problems that arise include failure during film stretching or fiber drawing, and failure of film when the film is exposed to electric voltage. One cause of such failures is the presence of metal impurities in the recovered polymer which result from corrosion of the process equipment and/or soluble metal impurities present in the feedstocks used during the polymerization process.
Arylene sulfide polymers are thermoplastic polymers known in the art, and processes for making these polymers are disclosed in various U.S. patents including, but not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,354,129; 3,919,177; 4,795,799; and 4,808,698. Although these patents represent significant and valuable advances in the art, there is need for a simplified process which can provide arylene sulfide polymers which have a significant amount of the metal impurities removed.